Sunday, March 23, 2014

Fethullah Gulen's Interview with Today's Zaman [Part 3]

Gülen says gov't cut back on rights and freedoms in Turkey

Islamic scholar
Fethullah Gülen, who has inspired the popular civic and social movement
called Hizmet, has said he is concerned with the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AK Party) government's moves seen over the last
couple of years to cut back on fundamental rights and freedoms in
Turkey.

“There has been a serious
regression in fundamental rights and freedoms over the last few years,”
he said, lamenting the offensive and subversive language utilized by
politicians in stigmatizing and marginalizing large swathes of Turkish
society.

“During the Gezi Park protests, I raised my objection to the
description of protesters as ‘çapulcu' [bandits]. This also applies for
the Alevis. Turkey has failed to introduce democratic solutions for
their most fundamental rights,” he explained in an exclusive interview
with Today's Zaman.

Gülen reaffirmed his position on establishing political party, saying
that “we are not and will not be a political party. Therefore, we are
not a rival of any political party.”

He also made it clear that he will continue to express his views when
necessary, underlining that this is one of his most natural and
democratic rights.

“I don't understand why some people do not like us enjoying this
democratic right of ours. Telling the people at the helm of the country
‘I have such and such ideas' should not be a crime. In advanced
democracies, individuals and civil society organizations freely
disseminate their views and criticisms about the country's political
issues, and no one expresses any concern about this,” Gülen stated.
Dismissing descriptions of a "parallel structure," a term invented by
embattled Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has been
incriminated in a massive corruption scandal, Gülen said every
institution affiliated with Hizmet is open to public scrutiny and
operates in full compliance with the law.
“If public servants are profiled or face unfounded charges, this is a
breach of their fundamental rights and freedoms,” he warned.

Gülen also rejected the claim that his movement is seeking a position
in government, saying, “We have never asked for a position such as
general manager, governor, district governor or minister.”
“If someone has done so in the past -- and I do not remember such a
thing happening -- they are no longer linked to us. I have forwarded
this sentiment of mine to state officials,” he added.

As for the government's interference in the media and the judiciary
that was wrongfully ascribed to Hizmet, Gülen said audio leaks posted on
the Internet have clearly indicated that it is Erdoğan's government
that is pressuring the media and judiciary, and not Hizmet.

“Today, we understand from the voice recordings posted on the
Internet that the officials who govern the country abandoned their
proper duties and worked hard to ensure that these people were
sentenced. They directly meddled in public tenders to push the
businessmen who were deservedly awarded the contracts out. What is
tragic here is that they commit grave sins by putting the blame of these
errors on innocent people,” he noted.

As for the Ergenekon detainees who were recently released, Gülen said
the government could have saved them a long time ago just like it did
intelligence chief Hakan Fidan, who was saved with a rush bill in
Parliament.

“I am in no position to meddle with the laws in force or make any suggestion in this context,” he said.
He also added that “a coup is a serious accusation and judicial
authorities are supposed to, in accordance with the rules that govern
them, hold those responsible accountable. But perhaps a legal remedy
could have been found while taking into consideration the ages or
medical condition of those people advanced in age and used to being
treated with respect all their lives.”

Commenting on rumors that Hizmet will face a crackdown after the
local elections on March 30, the Islamic scholar said many things are
being said out of anger. “I think every insult imaginable has already
been made,” he lamented.

“There is no end to inventing offenses based on beliefs, ideologies,
communal identities or parties of the people who work in public
institutions,” Gülen noted, adding that “the practice of creating
suspicions about certain people or groups with such unfounded
accusations destroys the very sense of fairness, justice and order.”

Here are excerpts from the interview:On the surface, it appears that there is a row between the
government and the Hizmet movement. Articles were written to analyze
this row. Some say, "We can change a party we don't like through
elections, but how can we change a community we don't like?" What do you
think about this?
I must note first of all that this is not a row between the AK Party
and the Hizmet movement. There has been a serious regression in
fundamental rights and freedoms over the last few years. The offensive
and subversive language utilized by politicians is making every social
segment into “the other” and polarizing society. During the Gezi Park
protests, I raised my objection to the description of protesters as
"çapulcu" (bandits). This also applies for the Alevis. Turkey has failed
to introduce democratic solutions for their most fundamental rights.
Perhaps there is a deliberate procrastination in this regard. We
supported a project to build a joint mosque-cemevi complex but received
unexpectedly harsh reactions.

Second, we are not and will not be a political party. Therefore, we
are not a rival of any political party. We stand at an equal distance to
everyone. Nevertheless, we make public our hopes and concerns about the
future of our country. I think this is one of our most natural and
democratic rights. I don't understand why some people do not like us
enjoying this democratic right of ours. Telling the people at the helm
of the country "I have such and such ideas" should not be a crime. In
advanced democracies, individuals and civil society organizations freely
disseminate their views and criticisms about the country's political
issues, and no one expresses any concern about this.

I must add that every institution established and run by our
companions are open to public scrutiny and operate in full compliance
with the law. In other words, there is a completely transparent
structure in place. The recent developments have shown clearly who is
not transparent. Participation in the Hizmet movement is voluntary. It
is regrettable to see volunteers of the Hizmet movement depicted as
members of a clandestine organization despite the fact that these people
exhibit full compliance with the law. There are public servants from
diverse ideological groups in every public institution. A public servant
may be rightist, leftist, Alevi, Sunni, non-Muslim, a Kurd, a Turk,
what have you, but he or she is supposed to perform their duties
properly. What matters is their compliance with the laws and regulations
when performing their duties. If public servants are profiled or face
unfounded charges, this is a breach of their fundamental rights and
freedoms. If you talk about an imagined "parallel structure" out of the
blue, then your illusions will create thousands of such structures for
you. And you end up with oppression against those people.

Why do you now oppose a political party you have supported
over the last 12 years? Were your interests aligned and reconciled
before?
We have never established cooperation based on the recognition of
interests with anybody. We have abstained from doing this because this
is the lesson we draw from the Quran and the Sunnah. I have always seen
the pursuit of strong and influential positions as a betrayal of our
values. I would never say anything about choices other people make. But I
have always viewed the pursuit of worldly and material gains as
detrimental to my afterlife. This is also the case with my friends. We
have never asked for a position such as general manager, governor,
district governor or minister. If someone has done so in the past -- and
I do not remember such a thing happening -- they are no longer linked
to us. I have forwarded this sentiment of mine to state officials.

We have tried to extend support on such issues as the improvement of
democracy and fundamental rights and freedoms. We would support any
party to make sure anti-democratic practices come to an end and that the
culture of a pluralistic democracy would become permanent.
Unconditional partisanship is one thing, and lending support to
democratic practices is another.

We now stand where we were before. We should look at who is moving
away from this standpoint. A political party which has up until recently
taken steps to expand the sphere of fundamental rights and freedoms is
now considering censoring the Internet and introducing bills that would
make this country an intelligence state. Is it possible to think of us
as supporting attempts to do harm to social cohesion through strong and
insulting discourse and to shelve democratic customs? If the whole issue
is restricted to the Hizmet movement, you may try tolerating the
repressive measures. However, the ongoing developments should be
analyzed from a broader perspective. Unfortunately, Turkey is being
alienated from the world. A Turkey which becomes isolated on the global
stage and loses its democratic richness will hurt not only the people in
this country but also everyone who takes Turkey as a model for
themselves.

In the fourth part of this series, to be published tomorrow, Gülen
talks about his support for the settlement process and laments the
government's belated steps to resolve the Kurdish issue.

Hizmet wrongfully blamed for gov't misdeeds and conduct

For a long time, government sources have been attributing all
adverse things at home and abroad to the Hizmet movement, and all good,
democratic and favorable things to themselves. Now, with the defendants
in the Ergenekon trial being released, they are resorting to the same
method in an effort to leave the Hizmet movement with the bill. And
occasionally this propaganda works. What do you say about this?
They tried to delude many social segments with this slander. For
instance, they told some media groups, "We have no problem with you, but
the Hizmet movement is messing with you." Today, we understand from the
voice recordings posted on the Internet that the officials who govern
the country abandoned their proper duties and worked hard to ensure that
these people were sentenced. They directly meddled in public tenders to
push the businessmen who were deservedly awarded the contracts out.
What is tragic here is that they commit grave sins by putting the blame
of these errors on innocent people. Gossiping, backbiting, slander and
aspersions abound, and one cannot help but feel sorry about it.

The saddest part is about the military. Those who boasted, behind
closed doors, about "making the military submit to civilians" or
"putting an end to military tutelage" told the military authorities, "We
would iron out this problem, but the Hizmet movement is preventing us."
And yet they [the government] quickly passed a bill specifically for
MİT Undersecretary Hakan Fidan. Had they really wanted and had they been
sincere, they could have enacted a bill to save former Chief of General
Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ and other senior military officers overnight.

Moreover, I would like to convey to you a feeling of mine. My friends
have witnessed numerous times my eyes fill with tears, seeing how those
retired military officers were detained. "If only the people who wear
this honorable uniform had not been faced with this situation," I had
said. But I am in no position to meddle with the laws in force or make
any suggestion in this context. A coup is a serious accusation and
judicial authorities are supposed to, in accordance with the rules that
govern them, hold those responsible accountable. But perhaps a legal
remedy could have been found while taking into consideration the ages or
medical condition of those people advanced in age and used to being
treated with respect all their lives.

This is how I feel. It has always been so. It really runs counter to
the facts to say that it is the Hizmet movement that put them in that
position. A senior retired police intelligence official recently gave an
interview to a journalist. My friends read it to me from the Internet.
"We informed Mr. Prime Minister before every operation we conducted," he
had said. This statement, mentioned in a column, was not denied by the
government. Now we have the right to ask: If the government knew of all
operations beforehand, isn't it a great sin to talk about a conspiracy
and raise suspicions about certain groups? If there really was a
conspiracy, why didn't you take action to deal with it in a timely
manner? If you knew, but failed to take action to prevent it, then
wouldn't this make you an accomplice to the conspiracy?

Sham trial against Hizmet doomed to fail

The Hizmet movement is being accused of being a gang or
[terrorist] organization. There are even rumors that it will face a
crackdown after the [local] elections [on March 30].
Unfortunately, many things are being said out of anger. I think every
insult imaginable has already been made. They have consumed many
things. Meanwhile, totally unfair accusations have been voiced.
Following the campaign to toss around such labels as "[terrorist]
organization," and "gang," efforts are also being made to influence the
judiciary. It is now clear that, as has been said in election rallies, a
lawsuit will be launched. If no crime can be found despite searching
hard for it, it hurts the sense of justice to push laws beyond their
limits to invent one, doesn't it?

The concept and ambiguous accusation of the existence of a "parallel
structure" applies to virtually every segment of society. That is, there
is no end to inventing offenses based on beliefs, ideologies, communal
identities or parties of the people who work in public institutions.
Today, you may declare a specific community as a "parallel" structure or
as a "gang." In the future, others may claim the same for other
communities. Thus, any person who works for the state and is sympathetic
to any social, political or religious community may be accused of
membership in a "parallel state." What is more, no one can guarantee
that those who parrot today these accusations of a "parallel state" will
not face the same accusations in the future. The practice of creating
suspicions about certain people or groups with such unfounded
accusations destroys the very sense of fairness, justice and order.

If a public servant does not comply with the orders of his or her
superiors, there are laws that set forth the sentences for this offense.
His or her noncompliance is punished under the law. Yet if the matter
is taken outside the legal course and thousands of people are labeled
and reshuffled unlawfully, this oppression cannot be explained or
justified in either this world or the next [i.e., on the Day of
Judgment].

To force the judicial authorities to invent crimes and launch
lawsuits against these people would be amplified oppression and the
general public will find it unacceptable. Moreover, sham trials will not
be successful. Moreover, if you call these people, who make total
compliance with the law their lifestyle, a network, then people will
ask: You have been working with these people for 12 years and they were
good people during that time, but suddenly, after the launch of the
graft and bribery investigation, you realized that they are evil. Is
that so? We must never forget the verse recited in every Friday sermon:
"God commands you to act with fairness." That is, He orders us not to
breach the rights of others.